Fire-control apparatus particularly intended for naval guns



- W. AKEMANN.

FIRE CONTROL APPARATUS PARTICULARLY INTENDED FOR NAVAL GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17, I920.

1,401,928, Patented Dec. 20, 1921..

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

r I X\\\\\ W. AKEMANN.

FIRE CONTROL APPARATUS PARTICULARLY INTENDED FOR NAVAL GUNS; APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17. L920.

1,401,028, Patented Dec. 20, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- IIIIIIIIIIIAIl/IIIII/ UNETEE STTE 'raraar WAITHER annmarm, or ESSEN, exam, assrenoa me new. more en'rmrrensmscnar'r, or Essmr-on-rnn-aem, (mam.

FIRE-CONTROL APPARATUS PARTICULARLY INTENDED FOR- NAVAL GUNS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented} Bee. 2%, High,

Application filed eptember 17, 1920. genial 23o. QILGM.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTHER AKEMANN,

residing at Essen, Germany, a citizen of the German Republic, have invented a certam new and useful Improvement in Fire- Control Apparatus Particularly Intended for Naval Guns (for which I have filed application in Germany, filed July 30, 1918,) of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improvement in the fire control apparatus described in the specification of Serial No. 408,072, now Patent No. 1,387,440.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, which shows diagrammatically a construction intended for naval guns. 7

Figure 1 is a complete view of the fire control apparatus,

Fig. 2 is a portion .of Fig. 1 drawn to an enlarged scale,

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 looking from the left and Fig. 4 is a section on line il of Fig. 3 looking from the left.

At the observing station is mounted. a gyroscope casing A which can be oscillated about a horizontal axis. The axis B on which the sighting telescope b is mounted and which is adapted to be stabilized by a gyroscope (not shown) suspended by a Cardan suspension, coincides with the axis of oscillation of the casing. To the said axis B is rigidly connected a toothed sector 6 which is connected by a toothed wheel gearing 6 0 to the rotating part of a transmitter C of an electrical long distance controlling apparatus mounted on the gyroscope casing A.

The casing A is oscillated about its .horizontal axis by a hand wheel D, on the shaft 03 mounted on the base of the casing said shaft (Z carrying a worm d cooperating with a series of teeth a on the casing A.

The transmitter C is electrically connected by means of a long distance conductor E with the receiver G assigned to it. On the shaft 9 of the receiver G, is mounted a worm which gears with a worm wheel in.

The worm wheel 71. is mounted to rotate loosely on a disk-shaped member Q and to the said worm wheel 72, is rigidly connected an arm H the free end of which is constructed in the form of a tongue-shaped circuit-closing piece 72?. The general arrangement of the long distance controlling apparatus C, E, G, which transmits a rotary movement of the sighting telescope b to the arm H is so arranged that every rotary movement of the sighting telescope 6 results in ,a corresponding rotary movement of the arm H and consequently of the circuit-closing piece h I On the front of the disk-shaped member Q is rigidly attached a box Q which contains in its interior in addition to the parts g 72 H, 72?, already mentioned a small casing Q and a motor K. This motor K is provided for the purpose of adjusting, by means of a mechanism placed within the casing Q (which-mechanismwill be described below.) A circuit-closing piece g cooperates with the before mentioned circuitclosing piece If to just correspond to the required preliminary ignition angle. The

circuit-closing pieces g and k are in- The disk-shaped member Q is 'adapted to rotate about anaxis which coincides with the axis of the worm wheel k "and is connected by means of the gearing r .with

the rotating, part of a receiver R. This receiver R is connected through a conductor R to-the transmitter R of along distance controlling apparatus, the rotatin part of which is positively connected 't rough a toothed wheel gearing 1", 2' with one of the horizontal trunnions J of the gun to be controlled. The general arrangement of the long distance controlling apparatus R R R, which transmits a rotary movement of the trunnion J to the disk-shaped member Q is such that every rotary movement of the trunnion J results 1n a corresponding rotary movement of the member Q and consequently of the circuit-closin piece 9 The mechanism inclosed in t e casing Q is shown on a, larger scale in Figs. 2 to 4.

A worm 70 mounted on the shaft is of the motor K is carried in hearings in the casing Q and gears with a worm wheel which by means of intermediate earin g drives a hollow shaft 9 (see i 3% whicfir is adapted to rotate freelybn a s aft 8 carried in bearings in the casing Q. To the hollow shaft q is ri 'dly attached a toothed ratchet wheel 9 nacircular-shaped disk g keyed close up against the ratchet wheel is pivotally mounted a pawl g" which rs a ainst a pawl g mounted on the casing Thisawl g (see particularly Fig. 3) is wider t an the pawl g" and bears when in the position shown in the drawing against a recess g" in the disk g (See Fig. 4. The disk has a p in it, 9 throng which a tooth g fixe on the pawl 9 projects. When the pawl 9 emerges from the recess g in the disk g and releases the pawl 9 this tooth can engage under the action of the spring (see Fig. 4) with the ratchet-wheel g and thereby couple the hollow shaft g to the shaft The release of the pawl g is effected b a tongue q which'p'ro'ects. through a shit in the casing Q? an I is rigidly connected to the pivot pin ofthe pawl 9 The point of this tongue g" protrudes into the path of the tongue-shaped stop h fixed on the arm H so that the stop 71. can bear against tongue g and. when the stop h moves in'the direction of the arrow at (see Figs. 2 and 4) can carry the ton e g" a short distance against the action 0 a sprin g attached to the ton e 9 On the sha g in addition to the isk g is also keyed a, disk cam 9 against the spirally curved external surface of which, a hook-shaped lever arm g, of a bell crank lever pivotally mounted in the casin Q bears, and the other arm of which is ormedby the circuitclosing piece g. This circuit closing piece a pro'ects through a slot 9 in the casing an a tension spring 9 attached to the circuit-closing {pieces q tends to permanently press the point of the lever arm g against the edge of the disk cam 9 The length of the circuit-closing iece-q isso calculated, that its point .pro]ects into the path of the circuit-closing piece it on the arm H, so that the two circuit-closing pieces h and can in assing, say, durlng the upward rolling of t e ship, touch each other. The tongue g and the circuit-closing piece inclose in the position shown in the drawmg, in which the pawl q bears against the recess g and the hook-shaped lever arm 9 lies on the lowest point of the disk cam q, a small angle with each other, so that on a rotary movement of the arm H, in the direction of the arrow 0: the tongue g must be touched b the stop h a little sooner than the circuit-c osing piece It can. come into contact with the circuit-closing'piece In order that the working of the ahove described fire control apparatus may be 'sults in a correspondin stant number of revolutions.

. k readily understood it will be assumed that the ship which is floatin in a. horizontal position does not roll an .the parts are in the position shown in the draw' If for example, the gun is to be lai to correspond tothe range of the target and fired, the sighting telescope b is directed on to the target whi e the gyroscope is in action and maintained in this sition. The gyroscope casing A is next roc ed by turnin the hand whee D through the. angle of e evation a which. corresponds to the range of target. This rocking movement of the gyroscope casing A, throu h the medium of the long distance control ing apparatus 0, E, G, re-

movement of the arm H connected to t e receiver G and therefore the circuit-closing iece 'h and stop It mounted on the arm & are rotated through a similar angle of elevation a. The gun barrel is then rocked by means of an elevating gear (not shown) and which may be contro led from a distance if desired,

about the horizontal trunnions until the circuit closing piece g connected to the trunnions J by the long distance controlling apparatus R R R, and which therefore takes part in the rocking movement of the gun barrel as before stated is again opposite the circuit-closing piece 11?. movements have been accomplished'the circuit-closing piece g and alsothe gun barrel will have been rotated out of the1r original angular position through an angle a which corresponds to the range of the target. The gun barrel therefore assumes an elevation corresponding to the range of the target relatively to the ship floating in its horizontal position and the firing of the gun is effected by hand.

If the ship rolls, and if thefiring of the gun is to take place automatically at an instant, which lies by a period of time equal to the dela in firin in advance of the instant in w ich the s i passes through the horizontal floating pos tion, it is then necessary, to adjust the two circuit-closing pieces k and g relatively ,to each other through an advanced ignition angle corresponding to the dela in firing. For this purpose the motor is set in motion and ke t at a con he hollow shaft g connected to the motor K by the intermediate gears 10 g, q, q", consequently together with, the ratchet wheel 9 rotate with a uniform velocity. When therefore by the rotation of the arm H in the direction of the arrow w, the stop k on the arm H bears against the tongue g, the pawl g leaves the recess g in the disk 9 and consequently releases the pawl g. This latter bears, under the action of the s ring q", with its tooth 9" against the rate et wheel By this means the coupling between the hollow shaft 9 connected to the ratchet As soon as these Ill menses wheel g and the shaft g which carries the disk g and the diskeam g is established and the rotary motion of the motor shaft istransmitted to the shaft 9 On the rotation of the disk cam 9 which now come mences, the hook-shaped lever arm Q22 slides on the'edge of the disk cam, and this results in a displacement of the circuit-closing piece 9 in such a directionthat the said circuitclosing iece 9 moves out of the way of the circuit-c osing piece 72. as this latter moves in the direction of the arrow w. The curvature of the disk cam Q21 is so designed geometrically that on the rotation of the said cam, the circuit-closing piece 9* at first moves rapidly and then more slowly through such an angular amount that the circu1t-= closing piece k which follows it with an ap proximately equal movement touches it in a position which lies by the amount of the desired advanced i ition angle in advance of the point in whic the gun barrel and conse quently the disk-shaped member Q assume the before described elevation relatively to a horizontal plane. At the instant of contact of the circuit-closing pieces 9 and if, the firing circuit is closed, the shot is fired and the projectile leaves the barrel exactly at the instant in which the said barrel assumes the before described elevation angle in respect to a horizontal plane: On the further movement of the arm H the circuitclosing piece If and the sto 71. come out of the path of the circuit-closing piece 9* and the tongue Q19 so that these parts can return under the influence of the tension springs g and 9 into the osition shown in Fig. 2 as soon as the shaft with the disks g and has made one complete revolution when the pawl will again bear on the recess 9 and against the pawl 9, thus disconnecting the shaft 8 from the hollow shaft g", so that the shait 9 comes to a standstill.

The above described fire control apparatus has all the advantages described in the before mentioned specification but with the advantage that the sensitive circuit-closing piece and also the sensitive parts of the pinion gear belonging thereto. are not mountedon the gun and so subjected to the concussion of the firing. It is consequently superior to the fire control apparatus de-' scribed in the before mentioned specification first b its great reliability of action and second by the fact that its degree of accuracy ls'independent of the number of shots fired.

If a number of guns are to be connected to 'a single gyroscope sighting apparatus, a singlereceiver for the long distance controlling apparatus may be connected to the gyroscope .si hting device, and the adjustable parts t ereof and the circuit-closing pieces (k assigned to the various guns for reproducing the exact angle of the adjustments of the sighting line connected thereto. In this case it is possible, to arrange the circuit-closing devices belonging "to the different guns together with the pinion gears belonging thereto in one casing. The application of the invention to a fire control apparatus for a number of guns consequently affords a particularly simple construction.

Claims:

1. An apparatus of the class described comprising a sighting device, means for stabilizing said sighting device, a carrier for said stabilizing apparatus, means for adjusting said carrier to correspond to the range, a transmitter operatively connected to said sighting telescope, a receiver, means "operatively connecting said transmitter to to said receiver, a second transmitter con nected to and operated by the trunnion of a gun, a second receiver connected to said second transmitter for synchronous operation therewith, a disk-shaped member, an arm cooperating with said first mentioned arm carried by said disk, means connecting said disk to said second receiver for rotating the saine, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. An apparatus of the class described comprising a sighting telescope, a gyroscope for stabilizing said sighting telescope and a casing therefor, means for adjusting said casing, a transmitter connected to said sighting telescope, a receiver, electrical long distance means connecting said transmitter to said receiver, an arm operated by said receiver, a contact piece carried by said arm,

asecond transmitter operatively connected to the trunnion of a gun so as to take part 1n its rotary movement, a second receiver,

electrical long distance means connecting said second transmitter and receiver, a diskshaped member rotatably mounted on an axis which coincides with the axis of said arm, a second contact piece carried by said disk-shaped member, means connecting said receiver to said disk-shaped member for rotating the same and means mounted on said mitter operatively connected to the trunnion of a gun so as to take part in its rotary movement, a second receiver separated from the sha ed member and operatively connected to sai second circuit closing piece for adjusting T the same to correspond to the advanced ignition angle.

The foregoing specification signed at Essen, Germany, this 16th day of J une, 1920.

DR. WALTHER AKEMANN.

In presence of- Hans GOTI'SMANN, JOHANN DEC'KERS. 

